All the Lucifer episodes

[shapinglight]

Comic Book Resources has interviewed the Lucifer showrunners about every single episode of the series.

It's quite interesting in places, mostly when they're talking about season 1.



The reason why it's interesting is because of the number of times Henderson and Modrovitch say they were lucky to get whatever they wanted to do past the network, which - apparently - was constantly reminding them they were a 'light-hearted procedural' and to rein back on the supernatural element.

That's just so bizarre. A show based on a very dark comic book series, featuring the Devil as the main character, and you want to make a light-hearted procedural out of it? Why on earth would you do that? What is the point of having a show in which the main character is the real, actual devil if you don't want the supernatural stuff?

I'd really like to know where this was coming from. Was it Warner Bros TV who make the show, or was it Fox? If so, what on earth were they thinking?

I say this as someone who loved the show despite its faults, the main one of which, IMO, was the boring procedural element. I hate procedurals. I nearly died of boredom during the one solitary episode of Bones I've watched. I only started watching this one at all because of the premise (the devil bored with hell, running a bar in Los Angeles), then stuck with it because I liked the characters and loved the soundtrack.

Oh anyway, if there is another season, or a TV movie, or anything at all (still no news on that, but I understand that a whole three weeks after the show was cancelled the sets have still not been dismantled) I suppose we may find out. If the procedural element is less in evidence then it was Fox, if things are the same then it was Warner Bros.

Weird.

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

I gather it was made by WB but aired by FOX so it would be FOX giving all these notes. And I guess that's where the whole Bones reference came from since that's apparently how they saw it and what they wanted a replacement for. The WB would be more concerned with the show's ability to be syndicated, so that might lean more procedural as well, but I doubt they'd be so concerned about darkness.

I'll be posting about it soon, but the last few days I've been binging the show Episodes which is all about the process of making network shows in the U.S. I expect you might find it enjoyable (it's on Netflix here).

[shapinglight]

so it would be FOX giving all these notes.

I suspected as much. I really don't understand why they thought a show with the devil as the main character would be a good replacement for Bones. It's ridiculous really.

I've been binging the show Episodes

I lost touch with Episodes after the first two seasons, but I did enjoy those, especially that woman whose only function seemed to be to make weird faces. :)

[yourlibrarian]

I'm almost finished with S2 and was surprised to discover it had 5 seasons as I'd not heard of it before and I thought it was quite good. Not many comedies make me laugh out loud but this one has.

It took me a moment to realize who you meant, I'm guessing it was Myra the supposed head of comedy. But given the whole process of how Lyman's Boys got on the air, I can well understand how a show like Lucifer ended up the way it did! (And also how Firefly lived and died on the same network).

[shapinglight]

I'm guessing it was Myra the supposed head of comedy.

Yeah, her. Never contributes anything verbal. Just makes weird faces.

[shadowkat]

After watching "Showrunners - The Art of the Show", network interference happens a lot with broadcast network series. ABC, Fox, NBC and CBS are notorious for killing television shows. It's less likely to happen with cable and streaming, although it can and does.

They said that they tend to leave you alone if you give them what they asked for upfront and they trust you and you deliver ratings.

Fox clearly wanted a Bones replacement. (Although on Showrunners - the head writer of Bones admitted it was odd they continued to get renewed, they had abysmal ratings and were flying under the radar. He also said he was writing for the people who couldn't figure out how the characters came up with all those ideas. Which explains a lot. Bones was one of the series featured on Showrunners.)

I agree with you. Why would they want to turn that into a light procedural? And how did they not realize it wasn't a light procedural? One wonders about network executives sometimes...such as how they got that job and why they haven't been fired yet?

[shapinglight]

(Although on Showrunners - the head writer of Bones admitted it was odd they continued to get renewed, they had abysmal ratings and were flying under the radar.

So why did they keep getting renewed? Because they were good boys and always did what the network asked?

One wonders about network executives sometimes...such as how they got that job and why they haven't been fired yet?

Very much so. In fact, Episodes that yourlibrarian mentions satirises that very well.

[shadowkat]

Because they were good boys and always did what the network asked?

And appealed to a specific demographic...that the advertisers were interested in. It's very advertiser driven for broadcast networks -- because they don't pick up subscription dollars at all. And the big money ads tend to be geared towards the male head of the household (ie. car ads, electronics, etc.). Middle America White Guys love David Boreanze and shows like Bones.

[shapinglight]

Middle America White Guys love David Boreanze and shows like Bones.

Well, I'm glad Lucifer won't have to pander to that demographic any more.

[saraqael]

Hey, I hear that Netflix just picked up Lucifer.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lucifer-revived-at-netflix-fox-cancellation-1120632

[shapinglight]

Yes! So pleased. I really didn't think it was going to happen, but now it actually seems that both Netflix and Amazon were interested.

Which, given that the show was pretty short of critical approval (ie. it wasn't one of these shows that no one much watches but that the critics adore) has to be down to the sheer scale and persistence of the on-line fan campaign.

Amazing stuff.

[saraqael]

I was so happy that Netflix picked up the show. Enough time had gone by that I thought there was no chance. Hurray!

[shapinglight]

Same here, though I did begin to feel more optimistic when I found out that the sets had still not been dismantled. That's a big thing. Time is money, and so on.